Holy grail of bass sounds

[Pete Academy]

Again, forgive me if this has been covered in a previous thread, but have you got a bass sound that you like on a favourite song that you've spent your entire bass playing life trying to replicate? For me it's probably anything by Bernard Edwards. But saying that, I went to see Chic in the early 80s and he was using a B.C. Rich, and it sounded awful.

[lemmywinks]

Pretty much anything played by Billy Gould, if i had to pick one i'd say The Gentle Art of Making Enemies.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEF!

[iamapirate]

Cupid's dead - extreme

[MacDaddy]

Jeff Pilson's live sound on Dokken's Beast from the East.
I do realise it probably has more to do with the album producer, than him or his bass or amps.
Also I want that sound from my fingers and not the pick like what he does.

[Tait]

not really tbh, i have a sound in my head that i try to get. i don't know if i heard that sound in a particular song or if its based on anyone's sound, but if it is i don't really know who's sound or what song or anything.

[budget bassist]

Adam Duce in Machine Head - a farewell to arms/halo

I know he uses a zon through a sansamp PS-1 and a mesa amp of some description, tried a sansamp and it just didn't do it for me, though my ashdown ABM gets me a similar sound that is pretty nice

Edited August 23, 2009 by budget bassist

[bartelby]

I love Billy Sheehan's sound, especially with Niacin, but I wouldn't really want to replicate it.

I used to want to, but not these days.

[Adrenochrome]

NO! But I really like a 'full range' sound; bass, mids, highs all there. I don't like a particularly trebly sound but I hate mud as well. Maybe that 'piano tone' is close to what I like.

[BottomEndian]

Breeders - [i]Cannonball[/i]

At least, until I got my SUB. Then I had that tone without trying. Pure Stingray.

[Clarky]

For rock/punk I love Alan Davey and Lemmy's Hawkwind sound (if you don't know Alan Davey his style is similar to Space Ritual era Lemmy's - check out Sputnik Sam or Right to Decide from later Hawkwind for examples of his overdriven but still warm valvey Rick-driven sound)

For everything else I love the 'traditional' P-bass sound, eg Martyn Casey of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, James Jamerson, Willie Weeks

What I hate above all is an overly trebly bass sound. For example I like Megadeth but find it difficult to take Dave Ellefson's tone (even though he is an ace player). And percussive slap sounds, yuk.

Edited August 23, 2009 by Clarky

[Noisyjon]

Dunno about all time fave but Tim C's sound on RATM's first album is pretty tasty!

[wateroftyne]

Fretless-wise, [url="http://www.jollybeggars.co.uk/stuff/rtkc.mp3"]this one[/url].

[Pete Academy]

A guy named Mark Adams of the 70s/80s funk band Slave has a sound to die for. Have a listen. Also, whenever I've covered Stevie's 'I Wish', I tend to miss out the end upper slides, as they're impossible to replicate. They sound like a tuba on steroids!!! I know some of these sounds are accidents in the studio, but what the hell.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Way too many, but first one who springs to mind is Geddy's sound . Seems like whatever bass he plays,you know it's him.

[Pete Academy]

Same with Marcus.

[steve-soar]

Hi, apologies to Pete (don't want to derail any threads, so I started a new one) but I think if we can, we should post our HG of bass sounds.

Here is mine when I was a small.
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYqllpnyWrY&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYqllpnyWrY...feature=related[/url]

Mine changed through the years until I found my own.

[Pete Academy]

No probs, mate. Here's the sound I've been chasing forever:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g6bUe5MDRo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g6bUe5MDRo[/url]

[Pete Academy]

And the Mark Adams 'Slave' sound I was on about:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMfFpmJGCr4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMfFpmJGCr4[/url]

PS. Much better idea having clips. D'Oh.

[Oscar South]

King Crimson USA live album

[url="http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/134504/05%20Asbury%20Park.mp3"]http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/134504/05%20Asbury%20Park.mp3[/url]

Edited August 23, 2009 by Oscar South

[Protium]

Tim C on Evil Empire wins hands down [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2-Y9HJPSM0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2-Y9HJPSM0[/url]
David Sims (Jesus Lizard)
Nick Olivieri (Kyuss/QOTSA)

Edited August 23, 2009 by Protium

[Pete Academy]

Another: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK5Bhb6KGq8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK5Bhb6KGq8[/url]

[NancyJohnson]

Geddy Lee pretty much has the tone nailed for me. Rickenbacker, Wal, Steinberger or Fender Jazz makes little difference. You all know what he sounds like...

P

[waynepunkdude]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koxmm-xFbR8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koxmm-xFbR8[/url]

[Moos3h]

Gotta say I love Guy Pratt's tone on the Pink Floyd 'Pulse' tour/DVD.

Cheers,
James

[wateroftyne]

Steve-soar, I merged these two threads as they've become broadly the same thing. I hope that's OK.